It’s not about the melody, it’s about what’s happening in the background.
I believe the 4th movement of Beethoven’s 5th Symphony is the most glorious piece of classical music ever written. I’m not even being biased here…that’s just a fact. This piece of music absolutely takes you there – wherever “there” is.
Not being a musician though, it’s kind of hard to explain. So I asked Chester if he could help. And here’s where AI is (in my opinion) mind-blowingly useful. Chester comes back with, “Sure – just plug in the recording you’re listening to, give me timestamps, and tell me what you’re hearing that impresses you.” And it’s mostly right. What an interesting way to listen to something.
Here are some of the things that stand out about the conversation:
“The fourth movement really begins before the fourth movement begins.” Well, I knew this. It’s one of its distinguishing features – the crescendo out of the 3rd movement that hits the first notes of the 4th…which I’m being told is also a move from C minor to C major…but it’s the way Chester tells me this: “The move from C minor to C major isn’t just a key change; Beethoven makes it feel like an arrival from darkness into blazing light.” Yeah, AI’s emotions can be a little disconcerting, but when you’re looking for words?
What really attracts me about this piece…and a lot of other music…is what’s happening behind what we think may be the main point. I’m fascinated when I’m hearing different instruments coming in at random times to finish what others started. Like Bernstein implied in my last piece, it’s not random at all. It’s inevitable. It just fits, and it fits in a way that doesn’t just say, “Here’s this thing that I’ve nestled in here rather nicely,” but rather, “this perfects the music.”
Again, Chester says it better than I could express:
“…you may be hearing Beethoven using the strings as a moving layer underneath the main musical idea. Often the violins/violas are playing rapidly repeated notes, scales, or running figures while another section carries the melody. The string figure swells dynamically—crescendo—and then recedes—diminuendo/decrescendo. Because the musical foreground stays relatively stable, it can sound almost like a wave passing underneath everything.
What makes Beethoven particularly good at this is that the background isn’t merely accompaniment. It creates momentum and tension. You can almost feel something approaching before you consciously notice why.”
This is what attracts me to some music. It works for me in my favorite John Philip Souza piece too — The Pathfinder of Panama. Again — what’s happening in the background. I wonder if other people pay attention to the same kind of thing.
I’ve looked through YouTube to find something decent. This leads to a kind of funny observation: there are a couple of conductors…one in particular…who seem pretty arrogant. Like, the camera focuses on them almost exclusively. I turn them off pretty quickly. I watch a performance like I listen: I want to see what’s happening in the background. Like, I’m fascinated by the timpani in the few that I’ve watched. It’s also interesting to see violinists playing with pretty much their entire bodies. Anyway, I hope you like it. I’ve picked one with both 3rd and 4th movements so you can see the cool transition. Also, Gustavo Dudamel looks like he’s having a good time and isn’t too full of himself…